At no stage in any conversation with US was there any linkage of trade: EAM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday firmly denied any linkage between trade and Operation Sindoor during conversations with the United States stating that the request to halt military action came directly from Pakistan via the Director General of Military Operations DGMO channel reported the PTIDuring a special debate in the Lok Sabha on Indias strong successful and decisive Operation Sindoor launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack Jaishankar asserted that the operation was necessary to send a clear message following the deadly strike in which 26 civilians lost their livesldquoOur red lines had been crossed and we had to demonstrate that there would be serious consequencesrdquo he saidJaishankar lauded the governmentrsquos diplomatic efforts noting that of the 190 United Nations member states only three apart from Pakistan opposed Indiarsquos military actionldquoThere was overwhelming global support recognising that a country under attack has the right to defend itself and India was doing exactly thatrdquo he said according to the PTIHe clarified that Operation Sindoor launched on 7 May was specifically aimed at terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistanoccupied KashmirldquoOur response was focused proportionate and nonescalatory with a clear objective of holding those responsible for the attacks accountablerdquo he said as per the PTIJaishankar dismissed repeated claims made by former US President Donald Trump who has asserted on several occasions that he used trade as leverage to bring about a ceasefire between India and PakistanldquoI want to make two points absolutely clearrdquo Jaishankar told the House ldquoFirstly at no point during any dialogue with the United States was trade ever linked to Operation Sindoor Secondly there was no direct phone call between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump from 22 April ndash when Trump called to express sympathy ndash until 17 June when the Prime Minister then in Canada explained why he could not meet himrdquo reported the PTIHe revealed that the ceasefire understanding with Pakistan came only after Pakistan through the DGMO channel formally requested a halt in hostilities This followed international indications that Pakistan was ready for a ceasefireJaishankar also highlighted the strategic steps taken by the government after the Pahalgam attack He said the Cabinet Committee on Security decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan withdraws its support for terrorism Other diplomatic measures were also initiated to shape global understanding of Pakistanrsquos role in the attack as per the PTIldquoOur aim was to expose Pakistanrsquos longstanding support for terrorism and show how the Pahalgam attack targeted Jammu and Kashmirrsquos economy and sought to incite communal tensionsrdquo he saidThe governmentrsquos messaging both internationally and domestically focused on two core themes zero tolerance for terrorism and Indiarsquos sovereign right to defend its citizensJaishankarrsquos response came after Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi criticised the government over Trumprsquos claim repeated ldquo26 timesrdquo that trade pressure was used to broker peace between India and Pakistan The Congress party has been pressing the government to address Trumprsquos statements more directlyIndia has consistently maintained that the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan was the result of militarylevel communication not foreign mediation Following intense crossborder drone and missile exchanges India and Pakistan agreed on 10 May to cease hostilities after four days of confrontationwith PTI inputs